Sandy Park, the home of Premiership club Exeter Chiefs, has been included on
the long-list of stadiums under consideration to host 2015 Rugby World Cup
fixtures.

England Rugby 2015, the tournament's organising body, confirmed on Monday that the 10,744 capacity ground had been included on the 17-strong long-list, having met the host venue criteria as laid down by the International Rugby Board.

The ground has been added as redevelopment work on Bristol City's Ashton Gate stadium may not be completed in time for the event, which begins in September 2015.

Sandy Park is only the fourth rugby venue on the list of 18 stadiums after Gloucester's Kingsholm, Twickenham and the Millennium Stadium.

The ground's capacity will rise to 12,000 in time for the tournament.

Sandy Park currently has a capacity of 10,744 but Exeter have been given permission to expand the ground up to 20,000.

"I would like to thank Tony Rowe, chairman and chief executive of Exeter Chiefs, and Exeter City Council for their support over the last few weeks as we went through the process of adding Sandy Park to the long-list," said England Rugby 2015 chief executive Debbie Jevans.

"We are finalising venues and the match schedule in conjunction with Rugby World Cup Limited and will publish the final list in the next few weeks."

Exeter were promoted to the Premiership in 2010 and moved to Sandy Park in 2006 having played at their old County Ground home for 101 years.

Exeter chief executive Tony Rowe feels the event will benefit the whole of the south west of England.

"This announcement is exciting news not just for rugby followers, but for everyone living within the region," he said.

"We have been working incredibly closely with Exeter City Council in submitting a bid we hope will bring so much to so many people.

"Our hope now is that we will be among the venues that will be selected for what I know will be a superb Rugby World Cup here in England in 2015."

Telegraph Sport revealed on Monday that Olympic Stadium could yet be named as one of the marquee venues for the tournament.

Negotiations between England Rugby 2015 and the London Legacy Development Corporation are set go to the wire, with both parties still eager for the stadium to be named as one of the 12 venues submitted to the Rugby World Cup Limited board for approval on March 15.

Hopes of the Olympic Stadium's inclusion appeared to have faded in recent weeks because of delays in signing off a tenancy deal with West Ham and concerns about the time-frame of the planned £200 million reconfiguration of the stadium.

The England Rugby 2015 board is expected to be told at a meeting on Tuesday, however, that the prospect of the Olympic Stadium being included on the list of venues, which must be reduced from a long-list of 18 to 12, is still very much alive.